During a day of outdoor activities, such as hiking or backpacking, a hiker may encounter a rise in temperature and remove a jacket that was needed earlier in the day. In the past, hikers have simply carried the unwanted jacket, or tied the jacket around their waist. Preferably, the hikers were wearing backpacks, and could store unused jackets within the backpack. However, this was not the most efficient way to store the jacket, because the jacket typically would not fit into the previously packed backpack, or else the jacket would obstruct the other items in the backpack when the hiker later attempted to remove these items from the backpack. Therefore, a need was felt for a convenient method of storing an unwanted jacket in a backpack during hiking or other outdoor activities.
In another situation, a hiker may initially neglect or forget to pack a jacket, but later encounter inclement weather. As a result a need was also felt for a backpack with a permanently attached jacket. Attempts to satisfy these different needs resulted in at least three U.S. Patents, namely, McLaughlin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,735, Itoi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,155, and Park, U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,777. These patents all disclose backpacks which contain a pouch for separately storing a jacket that is integrally formed with the backpack.
However, none of these combination backpack and jackets are useful in a situation when the jacket is needed, but the backpack is empty and no longer needed. For example, a hiker may store a lunch in a backpack, but after lunch, the backpack is empty and useless. In this situation, the hiker may desire to wear the jacket, but does not want the burden of carrying the backpack on his shoulders. Therefore, a need exists for a combination backpack and jacket in which the backpack and shoulder straps are enclosed against the jacket preventing the need to wear the shoulder straps.
An empty backpack may tend to catch on trees limbs or other obstacles. Also, in inclement weather, the hiker may desire to protect both himself and his backpack from the elements. In these situations, the hiker wants a backpack that is enclosed against the jacket and concealed from the elements.
On extended trips, the user of a combination backpack and jacket may also wish to vary the look of his jacket. Therefore, a need also exists for a combination backpack and jacket wherein the jacket is reversible to provide two different colors or types of fabric on the exterior of the jacket. The reversible jacket should also include a means for securing the backpack within the jacket so that the hiker may comfortably wear the jacket inside out.